New Delhi: It has been a long time since Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan got divorced and both have moved on in their lives. Malaika has started dating Arjun Kapoor while Arbaaz is linked with model and actress Giorgia Andriani. However, there are still those who feel that Malaika should not have dropped Khan from her surname after the divorce as it holds too much weight.
Recently at the India Today Conclave, Malaika was asked about attributing her success to the Khan family, to which she replied, “It has benefited a lot in my life, but I don’t think I can rest on that fact. I have a famous surname. I don’t think that was all I wanted to do in my life. It opened a lot of doors for me but I think at the end of the day I have to work despite my married surname. Gotta do it. And, I had to work hard to stay in the game and prove myself every day of my life. And, the day I had my surname and went back to my maiden name, I still worked Keep doing it, it makes a difference.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me the biggest mistake I’m making is dropping the surname. A lot of people are telling me ‘You have no idea how much a surname is worth.’ I have a lot of respect for my ex-in-laws and ex-family, they have given me a lot of love. I have a child, and I am very much a part of the family, but for me, I needed to stand on my own feet. ..and not just about the surname. For me being able to drop the surname and go back to my maiden surname, it just gave me a sense of self. It made me feel that I could do anything in life or I can.
Apart from this, the actress also opened up on her wedding plans with boyfriend Arjun Kapoor and said that they are currently enjoying their pre-honeymoon phase and are in no hurry to get married. Meanwhile, on the work front, Malaika Arora was last seen in ‘Moving In With Malaika’ on Disney+Hotstar.